The GUIDE Workshop 2010 New Challenges for E-learning in cultural, scientific and socio-economic development organized in collaboration with the Università degli Studi Marconi will offer a general view of the current opportunities coming from the inclusion of digital technologies in the educational and professional sector.

Academic and professional training can play an important role in responding to the current global and economic crisis on the one hand and to meet the increasing need for large scale education on the other. A closer relationship between educational programs and local development can contribute to ensure compliance with the changing labour and social landscape, enhancing the countries development and competitiveness.

The Workshop themes cover many aspects of distance and lifelong learning, including vocational guidance and professional re-training, the role of instructional technology in scientific subjects implementation and the improvement of teachers and universities capacity building in developing countries.

Bringing together academic research and practical applications, the GUIDE 2010 Workshop enhance the exchange of innovations, best practices and methodologies among different regions and academic and professional contexts. A specific session will be dedicated to the new flexible learning models, like e-learning, blended learning and triple learning, highlighting the developments of the latest tools and applications. The Web 2.0 generation, mobile learning theories, practices and application together with the design and management of interactive m- environments, will be also some of the main themes of the debate.

The Workshop will give researchers and practitioners coming from both Industrialized and Developing Countries the opportunity to share best practices and experiences in the development of partnerships, networks and synergies.

The discussion of the suggested topics will lead to the development of a Framework Recommendation on innovative best practices and methodological applications for distance education institutions which will be published with the support of the GUIDE Board of Directors.